


Everything Is Made Of Stars

by snakestigmata



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Bending (Avatar), M/M, Pining, adding tags as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:09:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27720521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snakestigmata/pseuds/snakestigmata
Summary: The stranger stepped closer, crouching to Gerard's level, before blankly stating, "You're sick."Gerard would have said, "No shit, how'd you guess!" if he wasn't currently coughing up a lung or two.The man placed his hand on Gerard's shoulder. The touch wasn't forceful, but strong enough that Gerard knew he was determined to get his attention. "Come back to my place. I can help."Once Gerard was able to take a breath without wheezing, he bit his lip and met the stranger's eyes. "Okay," he whispered, nodding a little. "Lead the way.”
Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Comments: 5
Kudos: 15





	1. armure brillante

**Author's Note:**

> proofed+edited by my homie  ciara  <3

They were catching up; Gerard could hear them, their footsteps carelessly breaking every branch possible as they tore through the forest. He had heard the Earth Kingdom was strictly policed, but he hadn't anticipated they would send what felt like the entire army after him. All for stealing an apple.

Okay, it wasn't one apple; it was ten. But he was starving—his brother was starving! They didn't deserve to starve for being poor.

Bounding through the dense forest, Gerard didn't have time to stop and think about the ethics of paying for basic human functions. He did, however, have time to think about how close he was to losing the soldiers on his tail. They were fast—he'd give them that—but they couldn't see him yet, which meant they couldn't catch him.

Or, he thought they couldn’t, because the second he dashed into a clearing, Gerard smacked face-first into a wall of stone that had seemingly appeared out of thin air. Being an earth bender would have come in handy right about then, he thought, as he fell back onto dry dirt.

"You thief," a guard spat as he skidded to a halt, his companions close behind. "Did you really think you could outrun us?"

Gerard stayed silent, only sneering at the man as he scrambled backward, his back pressed territorially against the thick wall of rock behind him. He clutched the bag of fruit so hard his knuckles were turning white.

The second guard to step up rested his hand on the first's shoulder. "Listen, we deal with enough criminals in a day to fill the Earth Kingdom’s entire jail twice. We're not gonna lock you up; we just need you to pay for what you took."

With the threat of danger not completely gone, but a little less imminent, Gerard was given time to assess the situation. There were only three guards—okay, so the army wasn't after him, but in the heat of the moment, it sure as hell felt like they were—and they weren't holding a knife to his throat or anything, so he took a breath.

"I can't," Gerard rasped, before a heavy cough cut him off. Did he mention he was sick? 'Cause, yeah, as if it wasn't bad enough already, he had stayed out in the rain too long last week and had been fighting off some kind of cold ever since.

"Well, then give the food back," the third guard demanded, reaching out to take the bag.

"No!" Gerard shouted hoarsely, turning away and holding the bag of apples as close as possible to his chest. He couldn't come home empty handed—not for the third day in a row. His brother needed him; he would starve otherwise. But he also can't get arrested. As important as food is, Mikey wouldn't make it a day if Gerard left him alone. God, he hoped his brother would be able to forgive him---

"Uh—I can pay," an unfamiliar voice cut in, drawing both the guards' and Gerard's attention to the owner.

A young man with dark, shaggy hair stood at the edge of the clearing to Gerard's right. He couldn't have been older than 20, and by the looks of his clothes, he lived in the Earth Kingdom. His eyes darted from Gerard to the guards and back again.

"If money's the issue, I'll pay," the man repeated, his hazel eyes locked with Gerard's.

"How many apples did you steal?" the third guard said, snatching the bag away from Gerard while he was distracted. Gerard scowled at the word "steal," his attention turning back to the guard.

"Ten," he spat, his voice barely above a whisper as he stared daggers at the guard's boots.

"That's... five silver pieces," the second guard determined after thinking for a moment.

The stranger nodded, rummaging around in his pockets as he approached the third guard, placing the coins in the palm of their outstretched hand.

The three guards all looked at each other before the first one nodded curtly, seemingly satisfied. The third guard placed the bag on the ground, nudging it to Gerard with their foot. With one final glare at Gerard from the first guard, the three soldiers walked briskly back into the forest.

Once they were completely out of sight, Gerard let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and began to cough once more. He wheezed for what felt like an eternity, clutching the apples to his chest like they would save him from the coughing fit. Once he was able to breathe again, he looked up to his right only to lock eyes with the stranger, who had been watching him. He was unreadable; his expression was blank, although his eyes scanned him with... not quite fascination, but more like curiosity.

Gerard frowned. "What?" he rasped, before clearing his throat.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry," the stranger exclaimed, as if he didn't realize he had been staring. "I just—I've never seen anybody like you nearby."

Gerard's heart skipped a beat as his anxiety spiked. "Thanks for covering my ass back there, but I really should get go---" he stated flatly, before his body betrayed him and he began hacking once more.

This time, though, the stranger didn't just stare. He stepped closer, crouching to Gerard's level, before blankly stating, "You're sick."

Gerard would have said, "No shit, how'd you guess!" if he wasn't currently coughing up a lung or two.

The stranger placed his hand on Gerard's shoulder. The touch wasn't forceful, but strong enough that Gerard knew he was determined to get his attention. "Come back to my place. I can help."

He was about to shake his head and swat the man's hand off of his shoulder, but the thought of warm tea and a nice home made Gerard hesitate. Surely this man could be trusted; he spent his hard earned money on some stranger who had gotten messed up with law enforcement. Plus, if he's some kind of doctor, then he might be able to get rid of this fucking cough.

Once he was able to take a breath without wheezing, Gerard bit his lip and met the stranger's eyes. "Okay," he whispered, nodding a little.

The man beamed, standing up before extending a hand to help Gerard up. Gerard took it, brushing his pants off before gesturing in the direction the man came from.

"Lead the way,” he said softly, eyes locked with the stranger’s once more before he turned and began walking through the forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my update schedule is Nonexistant but i *do* have chapter two already written, so that should be up in the next week or two :) leave a comment, i'd love to hear from you!!


	2. a scar nobly got

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: panic attack  
> its brief, but still, stay safe!

His name was Frank. Gerard had learned at least that much on the short walk through the brush that surrounded the small shack Frank called home. It was situated on the edge of a pond, Gerard noticed, as Frank turned around and gave him a smile.  
“Welcome to my humble abode.” He grinned at that, a lop-sided kind of grin that Gerard couldn’t help but reciprocate.  
“It’s nice.” Gerard commented, stepping past Frank and through the parted curtain.

The cabin was small, but Frank took advantage of every square inch of space. The walls were covered with posters, paintings, and portraits, each telling its own story. Any horizontal surface was cluttered with various trinkets—from small glass jars of various liquids, to large scrolls sprawled out on tables, every area had something to call its own.

Frank seemed to notice Gerard’s staring. He chuckled, embarrassed. “Uh—sorry. Ray usually gets on my ass to clean, but he’s on a trip right now. He’s my roommate,” Frank explained. “And as long as you don’t touch his stuff,” he continued, gesturing to a table in the back, which was significantly tidier than the rest of the area, “You should be fine.”

Gerard nodded, standing awkwardly in the center of the cluttered room as he watched Frank clear off the counter and begin to gather supplies. He paused for a second before turning back to Gerard, a look of faint laughter on his face.

“You can sit down, you know.” Frank laughed, shaking his head slightly as he turned back to his workstation. Gerard’s face flushed. He looked around momentarily before deciding to sit himself down in a chair adjacent to the counter, resting the sack of apples on his lap.

After a minute or two, Frank finished mixing the concoction he had been focusing on. He grabbed a small glass cup, pouring the orange-tinged translucent liquid into it. He then shoved it toward Gerard, who gingerly took the cup, inspecting it.

“It’s an antitussive,” Frank tried to explain to the suspicious man sitting across from him. Met with only a confused look, Frank snorted, leaning on the counter and resting his chin in his palm. “It’ll stop the cough. Tastes like honey. Nothing bad, I swear.”

Gerard thought for a moment. What ulterior motives could Frank have? Maybe he had a thing for kidnapping people and he’d laced the anti-whatever drink with something to knock Gerard out. Or maybe Frank liked to poison people—but then why would he help Gerard with the guards earlier?

The cogs that were turning in Gerard’s mind must have been obvious, because Frank made his way over to Gerard, taking a seat beside him.

“I get why you’re suspicious, but I promise, I’m only trying to help,” Frank said softly, taking the cup from Gerard’s hands and lifting it to his mouth. Gerard took a small sip, all the while maintaining eye contact.

Gerard took a deep breath, suppressing the cough that threatened to interrupt the moment. He took the cup back, steeling himself before downing the medicine like it was cheap whisky.

Frank was right: it did taste like honey. Though, it had a slightly acidic aftertaste—it reminded him of the school nurse.

“Thank you.” Gerard said, face flushed once more under Frank’s stare.

Upon hearing Gerard’s gratitude, Frank beamed. “Of course, man.” He took the now-empty cup and stood, piling it with the rest of the dishes on the counter. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here. Did you just move in?”

Gerard paled, but quickly shook off the initial panic. “Um—yeah, my brother and I have been travelling on our own for a little while, and we ended up here,” Gerard explained, smiling gently at Frank as he resumed his position leaning on the counter, head propped up by his hand.

Frank’s expression sobered before he spoke. “Are you a refugee?” he asked solemnly, eyeing the slightly disheveled man sitting in front of him.

Gerard nodded slowly. “Are you?” he returned, fidgeting with the burlap bag of apples between his fingers.

“Yeah,” Frank nodded, a slightly pained expression crossing his face, before continuing, “Me ‘n Ray are from the Southern Water Tribe. There was a raid—a real bad one. I lost both my parents to the Fire Nation that day.” Gerard swallowed, his stomach dropping through the floor as Frank spoke. “I couldn’t do anything to save them at the time. I can’t bend, but Ray can. He has this killer healing stuff he can do—he’s saved so many people during other raids. That last one, though, it was… it was different. They came looking for more waterbenders, and they took Ray. I…” he trailed off, staring at the counter in silence. “Uh, sorry. I’m rambling,” Frank chuckled dryly, clearing his throat. “I got into medicine because I wanted to help people, is what I’m trying to say.”

Gerard was speechless. This man was willing to divulge his most vulnerable feelings to someone who was practically a stranger. Gerard’s mind was racing. All he could think about was how many other people like Frank had lost their families, their homes, their lives, to the Fire Nation. To firebenders. Firebenders like the ones that killed Gerard’s parents.

Firebenders like Gerard.

It was too much—he could feel himself spiralling. His breathing quickened, and tears pricked at the edges of his eyes. Frank noticed his panic, the dread plastered on his pale face, and immediately stood and made his way to Gerard. He knelt down next to him, one hand on his shoulder, the other keeping his balance steady as he tried to calm Gerard. He spoke softly, attempting to coax the hyperventilating man in front of him out of his panic attack. Eventually, Gerard’s breathing slowed, and his shaking hands stilled. He dropped his head into his hands, clutching black hair between his pale fingers.

Gerard blinked the tears out of his eyes. He couldn’t be here anymore—he couldn’t burden Frank more than he already has. He snatched the bag of apples by his foot off of the floor and ran as fast as he could into the forest, ignoring Frank as he called after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i cant believe its already december, gods above. anyways, next chapter should b up in a week or two :) ty for ur kind comments!


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